Crystalline Entity
The Crystalline Entity was a powerful, spaceborne creature characterized by a crystalline structure that resembled a large snowflake. It had warp speed travel capability, formidable size, and the ability to consume all life on a planet or starship. Its origin was somewhere in Delta Quadrant. (TNG: "Datalore")
The Entity functioned as a giant electromagnetic collector and needed constant power, converting organic matter into energy. Once the Entity ravaged a planet, its natural resources were completely stripped. No further life would be able to grow for many years. Everything, including vegetation and bacteria, was completely converted. Bitrious matter was usually deposited in the Entity's wake, as were elevated levels of hydrocarbons, lanthanides, and nitrates. The Entity was unable to penetrate rock lined with both kelbonite and fistrium. Both metals needed to be present in order to refract the Entity's absorption power. The shields of a Galaxy-class starship were also impervious to the Entity. Dr. Kila Marr was one of the Federation's foremost experts on the Crystalline Entity, studying twelve attack sites including Forlat III. (TNG: "Silicon Avatar") Attempting to penetrate the USS Enterprise-D's shields Attempting to penetrate the USS Enterprise-D's shields
The Entity, to which thousands of deaths are attributed, attacked the planet Omicron Theta in 2336, stripping all living material from the entire colony and killing many inhabitants, including Raymond Marr, Kila Marr's son. Colony residents Drs. Noonien and Juliana Soong both fled during the attack aboard an escape pod, although Juliana Soong was severely injured. (TNG: "Datalore", "Silicon Avatar", "Inheritance") The android Lore was an ally of the Entity and responsible for luring it to Omicron Theta. He tried to "feed" the crew of the USS Enterprise-D to the Entity after he was revived in 2364. The Enterprise's shields were enough to protect it from the Entity, and Lore was eventually transported into space. The Crystalline Entity retreated to parts unknown. (TNG: "Datalore") The Crystalline Entity feeding The Crystalline Entity feeding
In 2368, the Crystalline Entity destroyed the fledgling colony on Melona IV. Two colonists, including Carmen Davila, were lost in the attack. Most of the colonists survived, thanks to a cavern lined with kelbonite and fistrium. The Enterprise rescued the survivors and brought Dr. Marr to the planet so she could further study the attack. She worked with Lieutenant Commander Data in order to develop a technique to communicate with the creature.
The Enterprise intercepted the Entity after it had killed the entire crew of a freighter, the Kallisko. They attracted the Entity by emitting graviton pulses at 10 per second from the Enterprise, as lower pulse rates had no effect on the creature. The creature approached the Enterprise, replying with a series of graviton pulses that the Enterprise crew interpreted as meaningful, but which it needed time to decode. Marr increased the pulse rate, eventually trying a continuous graviton emission. The Entity stopped emitting pulses of its own as the emissions drove it into resonance. The Enterprise crew tried to stop the emissions, only to find that Marr had isolated the access code for the emission controls. Before the crew could halt the emissions, the resonance shattered the Entity. (TNG: "Silicon Avatar")
